March 14, 2010

I like pie. Fruity or creamy, sweet or savory--there are only a few exceptions (such as pumpkin, citrus, or anything bearing meringue). I'm also a math geek, so it makes perfect sense that I get excited about Pi Day.

Although the filling of a pie does indeed matter to me, the crust is of far greater importance. I think Barbara of Moveable Feasts put it quite nicely in her post about a lemon tart: "As far as I'm concerned if the crust is no good, I'm not wasting the calories." Right on.

Last year, I almost missed Pi Day but was able to toss together some pecan pie muffins. This year, I was ready and I made a classic apple pie to celebrate. Yes, I could wax poetic about the benefits of using multiple varieties of apples based on their differing textures and levels of sweetness, but I won't. You know what you like.

I will, however, stress the importance of a golden, buttery, flaky crust. Again, you know what you like. You probably have a go-to crust that you've tweaked such that it suits you perfectly; I know I do. My fat preference involves a combination--shortening for that melt-in-your-mouth quality and butter for its awesome flavor. I also like a fair amount of sugar, and I always add cinnamon. The result, if prepared correctly, is a dough that's easy to handle and bakes up into a slightly crispy, ready-to-dissolve-on-the-tongue crust.

Make the crust:Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon with a fork until combined. Scatter the shortening over the top and mix with a pastry cutter, two knives, or your magnificent hands until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and mix until the dough resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture. Stir and press the dough together, using a stiff rubber spatula until the dough sticks together. If the dough does not come together, stir in the remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does.Divide the dough into two even pieces and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap the disks tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Let the chilled dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling it out and fitting the bottom crust into a pie plate.

Make the pie:Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position, place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 500°F. Toss the apples with cup of the sugar, the flour, lemon juice, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside.Roll out the top crust to a 12-inch circle. Spread the apples in the unbaked pie crust bottom, mounding them slightly in the middle. Loosely roll the top crust around the rolling pin, then gently unroll it over the apples. Trim all but 1/2-inch of the dough overhanging the edge of the pie plate with scissors. Seal the edge by pressing the top and bottom crusts together, then tuck the edges underneath. Crimp the edges, and cut four vent holes in the top. Brush the crust with beaten egg white or milk and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.Place the pie on the heated baking sheet and lower the oven temperature to 425°F. Bake until the top crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet, reduce the oven temperature again to 375°F, and continue to bake until the juices are bubbling and the crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes longer. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving.

Happy Pi Day to you Grace (must admit this is the first I've heard of it!). And what a great way to celebrate. My fam love apple pie, luckily apple season is just about to start which means lots of chances to try pie-crusts (like this one).

Nerds or herds... pie will always get them to the table. Be it a family gathering or a neighborhood potluck, we all head to the dessert table first to see what pies are there.

I am with you Grace, it doesn't really matter what filling is in the pie; but the quality of the crust stays with us forever. I remember to this day old Aunt Janie's Peach Pie ~ but not because of her delicious yard grown peaches; it was the "flat, dry, tasteless, card-board" crust! And that was 40 years ago....

I will try your crust recipe. It looks wonderful. I remember when I took a chicken pot pie (in a 9 x 13 dish) to a church dinner. I overheard a man say that he loved anything with a good crust. He took a HUGE helping of my pot pie and started eating right there in the buffet line. He was a very happy man. You are so right about the crust being "everything".

That crust looks perfect! I adore Apple Pie with or without a good crust but, ohhh, what a difference a great crust makes. Then I might be willing to forgo a delicious filling for another bite of crust!

Ah yes, the crust must be flakey and good in order to have a truely wonderful pie. Your crust looks perfect to encase any fruit or berry Grace.I also use both butter and shortening in my crusts,but haven't tried adding sugar. Must do that next time

I like the rest of those pies (pumpkin and citrus...minus the meringue. Meringue is just a waste of air. And egg whites) enough for both of us. But I have to say that apple holds a special place in my heart. Yours looks amazing. Way better than anything I've ever seen in a bakery!

You can't be a Southern girl and not like pie, right? Your apple pie looks delicious and I agree with you, the crust is the most important part. Of course, I love your addition of cinnamon too. I'm going to have to try your pecan pie muffins. Pecan Pie is my husbands favorite pie so I know he would love the miffins.

I haven't baked an apple pie for years! I enjoyed baking them in high school using the same old recipe my cooking teacher taught us but I lost the recipe a long, long time ago. Your recipe looks quite similar. I'm gonna try it out and see.

Hey Grace! So your comment on our last post was perfect - it made my day! Because guess what the colorful side dish in the background is?! A dish we made from your blog!! :) hehe. I guess you know what you like! We will be posting it next & I already have it written up, so keep your eye out!

My whole life I claimed to not like pie, mostly and more to the point, I didnt like pie crust. Apparently I had never had a good crust until recently...when I made one from scratch and LOVED it! soooo, yes....a crust will make or break a pie as far as I'm concerned (unless it's a pecan pie...I could care less....I love em ALL)